Dental restoration



Jan. 28, 1936. sw ET AL 2,028,882

DENTAL RESTORATION Filed Jan. 22, 1934 INVENT S OTTO 5w Y FRANZ POLLiTZER ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 28, 1936 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to dental restorations and more particularly to improvements in dental crown and bridge structures.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a non-rigid bridge comprising a plurality of individual tooth jackets any one of which may be removed for repair or replacement without disturbing the remaining jackets.

A further object resides in the provision of a non-rigid bridge structure having more than one abutment crown in which parallelism of the tooth stumps to which the bridge is applied is not essential.

A still further object resides in the provision of a bridge having individually mounted jackets and in which all metallic contact with gum tissue is obviated.

Another object is to provide a'bridge structure which may be readily modified to support addi- 2o tional artificial teeth without extensive reconstruction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a crown structure comprising an outer jacket having the exterior configuration and color of a natural tooth, an intermediate metallic liner secured therein and an inner liner of a different metal formed by swaging to closely fit the tooth stump to which the crown is to be applied.

In carrying out the invention, a supporting structure is first formed which comprises a number of metallic, preferably gold, shells connected together by metallic strips whose cross-sectional area is such as to permit a slight flexibility. The end or outer shells may be formed to fit the supporting tooth stumps and the others may be of solid metal. Over eachshell is placed and secured thereto by a suitable adhesive such as dental cement, a porcelain jacket individually colored and stained if desired to simulate the appearance of a natural tooth. A veneer of porcelain or other non-metallic substance is then applied to the opposite ends of the inner shells to completely envelop the same, said veneer being suitably configured for engagement with the gum 4 tissue.

. Porcelain crowns have heretofore been generally constructed with the several teeth formed.

as an integral unit and breakage of any part of such structures has necessitated the removal and replacement of .the entire unit. This is a costly and highly undesirable procedure. With the present arrangement any one of the porcelain jackets may be removed for repair or replacement without disturbing the remainder of the structure.

5 In the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification, several practical embodiments of the invention are shown, but as such illustration is primarily for purposes of disclosure, it will be understood that the structure may be modified in various respects without departure from the broad spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a four unit bridge.

Figure 2 is a detail section showing the manner in which an'additional tooth may besupported by the original structure.

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1. i

Figure 4 is a sectional view of an end crown with the two metallic liners.

- Figure 5 is a sectional view of one of the inner teeth of Figure 1, the section being taken on line 55 of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, the main form of the invention will now be described with particular reference to the preferred manner of procedure.

' l0 represents the tooth stumps to which the bridge is to be attached. A so-called coping, generally designated I I, is cast or formed with end or outer shells l2 whose inner configurations conform to the surfaces of the stumps l0. Intermediate the shells l2 may be one or more cores [3 of conical cross section which are connected together and to the shells l2 as by connecting strips M, (see also Figure 3) The strips M are suficlently flexible to permit slight relative movement between the shells l2 and cores I3 so that where the axes of the stumps H] are not exactly parallel aslight twisting may be efiected to permit the coping to be placed thereon. This coping is preferably made of gold although other suitable material may, of course, be employed. Where desired, the shells l2 may have both their ends open. Following the formation of the coping, individual porcelain jackets l5 having the exterior configuration and color of natural teeth are slipped over and secured to the shells I2 and cores l3. Dental cement or, if the choice of metal permits, baking, may serve to bind the jackets in place. After the jackets are in place a thin layer or veneer of porcelain or other suitable material I 6 is placed over the exposed portion of the coping and secured by cementing. If desired, however, this veneer may be baked in position before the jackets are attached. The completed structure is now in readiness to be placed upon the tooth stumps and the whole will have the same flexibility as mentioned above and dental cement may again serve as a binder. In the event one of the jackets should become broken, the cores or. shell may be cleared and a new jacket cemented in place without disturbing the coping andwithout removal from the jaw of the patient.

If, after the bridge structure is in place, itv

becomes necessary or desirable to replace an adjoining tooth, the following procedure may be followed to provide an extension to the original coping upon which a new jacket may be supported. The jacket originally secured to the shell 12 is removed and an auxiliary coping l'l, Figure 2, is constructed with ashell l8 formed to fit over the shell l2. As shown, shell I8 is open at both ends, although the lower end may be closed if desired. Connected to shell [8 through a connecting strip I9 is a core 20 to which a porcelain jacket 2| may be applied and also a veneer 25 in the manner described above. After the shell l8 has been secured to shell l2 the original jacket l5, modified to fit over shell I8, is again replaced.

In some instances it may be desirable to provide an extension 22 to the auxiliary coping and so formed as to provide a lock joint connection with the next adjacent tooth for greater stability.

Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown a manner in which a jacket crown may be more closely fitted to a tooth stump. This method may be applied to the end shells of a bridge such as described or to individual crowns. It consists of first swaging platinum foil upon a replica of the tooth stump to obtain a thin platinum shell 25 whose inner configuration is the same as that of the stum The outer surface is then waxed and a shell l2a of gold formed to fit over the platinum shell. Jacket I5a ofporcelain is then secured to the gold shell in the usual manner.

After the shells and jacket have been assembled the whole is cemented to the tooth stump with a resulting closer fit than has been heretofore obtainable by the usual method of waxing the stump itself.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the novel features of the invention as applied, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the restoration illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It

is the intention therefore to be limited only as tallic coping having separate tooth supporting extensions, individual porcelain jackets cemented to said extensions and partially enveloping the same and a porcelain veneer secured to said coping to fit within and cover the open ends of said jackets.

3. A dental bridge structure comprising a metallic coping having a plurality of tooth supporting extensions, a porcelain veneer secured to said coping said veneer being configured to form a tissue contacting surface and recessed porcelain tooth jackets also secured to said coping, said jackets being configured to partially envelop both said coping and veneer.

4. An anterior coping for a dental bridge structure comprising a pair of end shells for securing the same to tooth stumps, one or more intermediate cores to support artifical teeth, said shells and cores being connected by non-rigid metallic strips, a non-metallic tissue contacting veneer secured to said coping intermediate said end shells and recessed tooth jackets secured on said cores to envelop the same and extend around said veneer to the gum line.

5. A dental restoration comprising a gold tooth support, an enveloping jacket having the exterior configuration and color of a natural tooth and open at one end so as to be readily slipped over said support and a non-metallic veneer secured to said support and fitted within said jacket to prevent contact of said gold support with gum tissue. I

6. The method of extending a bridge structure having a porcelain jacketed gold crown, which consists in removing the porcelain jacket, securing a metallic shell over the exposed crown, said shell being integral with a to be added tooth structure and replacing said removed jacket over.

said metallic shell.

'7. The method of constructing an anterior dental bridge which consists in separately forming a metallic coping, a recessed porcelain jacket to fit three sides of said coping and a porcelain veneer to fit a fourth side and extend within said jacket and thereafter securing the jacket and veneer to the coping to envelop the said partially enveloping the same, and a tissue contacting veneer secured to said coping to fit within and cover the open end of said jacket.

o'r'ro sWAN. FRANZ POLLITZER. 

